Today, wireless telecommunication carriers provide their customers various competitive options for obtaining mobile communication devices, such as smartphones. Some devices are carrier-locked, to restrict the devices to the particular wireless telecommunication carrier and a specific region. A user device may be carrier locked to a wireless communication carrier via a subscriber identity module (SIM) lock engine that is located within the modem of the user device. The restrictions may be formalized via an equipment installment plan (EIP) or equipment lease.
One of the reasons a wireless telecommunication carrier locks a communication device to a particular carrier is because these devices may be offered at a discount to customers in exchange for a contract to pay for the use of the network for a predetermined time period. The agreements may be formalized via an equipment lease or installment plan, collectively referred to herein as an equipment installment plan (EIP). This subsidized device business model allows the wireless telecommunication carrier to recoup the cost of the communication device during the term of the contract.
However, an unlocked subsidized device could be used on an alternate network for a lower fee, thereby disrupting the business model. In some scenarios, a user device may be stolen by a third party (e.g., a thief). Accordingly, nefarious actors may attempt to exploit the value of a user device provided by a wireless telecommunication carrier without having made the requisite payments. For example, a nefarious actor may attempt to sell an unpaid EIP user device to a person who may swap the original SIM card for another. In another scenario, an EIP subscriber may fall behind on or avoid making payments (e.g., incur a “bad debt”) while still taking advantage of various functionality of the user device on another wireless telecommunication carrier and/or with ubiquitous Wi-Fi.